Chevy vs. Dodge

I am a Chevy girl. I have purchased 3 cars in my adult life- all Chevy's. My 98 Chevy S-10 (Rusty)- what a great little truck, my beloved 01 Chevy Monte Carlo SS- man I miss Monte, and then there was our 03 Trailblazer (or TWNN- Trailblazer with no name).

Due to rising gas prices and the amount to driving that Chris will have to do with his new job, we decided to get a smaller vehicle to save on gas. So last week we purchased a 2007 Dodge Caliber.

Cute little car. If the Dodge Neon and the Dodge Durango had a love child, it would be the Caliber. Although sitting closer to the ground is going to be an adjustment, it does have some cool features. An plug in for an MP3 player and the electrical outlet in the center console is cool, but nothing as cool as these.

What looks like an ordinary glove box on the outside.....

Is actually a beverage cooler on the inside. It'll hold 4 cans/bottles and is vented to cool from the air conditioner.

And what is that- A UFO??? No, it is the illuminated cup holders. These are important- WHY?? I guess just so we can say we have them!!

I'm still a Chevy girl- always will be. But illuminated cup holders- that is cool!!!

An Ag Girl in the making

This past weekend we took Madeline to a strawberry farm near our house to pick strawberries- or pick up strawbebbies- as she says. Ahhh, I'll make an aggie out of her yet!!

Ramblings

I have been at a loss for blogging. Nothing 'blog worthy.' So, here are some ramblings to let you know that I am still here.

Today (and everyday)I am thankful for....

My AMAZING husband- who has provided for us even when times were tough

My BEAUTIFUL, SMART and incredibly SWEET daughter- she brightens my day

My LORD and SAVIOR- who has blessed us immensely

Chris will be starting a new job on May 1st with Wake County Public Schools! This is going to be a HUGE blessing for Chris and our family. He has been stressed and really unhappy at work for a couple of years, and the right job finally came along.

My daughter is one smart cookie!! She amazes me everyday with what new thing she has learned. It's fun to be able to carry on a conversation with her and talk to her like an adult. She isn't a baby anymore- my little girl is growing up.

My yard is full of beautiful yellow and purple Iris'. Chris is having to mow every 2 weeks. All the windows in the house are open. Yep, I think spring is finally here.

In Loving Memory

Kodiak

October 1993 - April 2, 2008

Gonna miss you Bubba Boy!

The Terrible Two's

We have found a shirt that sum up the terrible two's .....

However, shot's like these make us see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Beer- it's not just for drinking

A few weeks ago a friend gave me a starter of Amish Friendship bread. You know these- you keep them in a zip loc bag for 6 days (squeezing it daily), then add a few more ingredients, squeeze for a few more days, divide, bake, and pass along. This particular bread was sweet, a cinnamon bread.

The baking brought back another college memory- beer bread. Yes, we actually did more than DRINK beer, we cooked with it. This very simple bread is delicious. The top is crunchy and slightly salty...mmmmmm. So, having a left over beer from the race back in October, I figured that baking was the only thing it was good for (I don't drink beer, and after being in the fridge for 5 months, figured no one else would either...). So, I looked the recipe up online, found it, and baked it.

Here is the recipe:

Beer Bread

3 cups self rising flour

1 -12 ounce beer

3- T sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes.

My college roomies and I developed quite a habit for this bread. It is best warm topped with butter.

Warning: Now the above picture is what the bread should look like. However on one occasion we used a micro beer that we had in the fridge...the results, well see for yourself. My advice is to stick with good ol' beer.....

What a sweet ride....

So today I was randomly checking out craigslist (yes, I admit it, I am addicted) which I do almost daily. The stuff you find on there is great. My favorite is the 'free' section.

Anyways, I was looking today and came across this guy that drives across the county in an old purple bread truck that he is living in. Check out his site http://purple53.com/. Funny thing is that he just left Wake Forest, NC headed out west. He was advertising in the 'rideshare' section looking for someone to ride along with him.

What a life!!! Sometimes it sounds appealing to just pack up and leave, see what is out there. There are so many places I would love to see- maybe I'll get there someday. May not be in a cool purple hippie van, but I'll get there somehow.....